1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a probe card structure adaptable to different test apparatuses of different specifications, and more particularly to a probe card structure adaptable to different test apparatuses of different specifications for testing integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional probe card structure mounted on an integrated circuit test apparatus. The probe card structure mainly includes a layout circuit board 1, a fastener ring 2, a probe retainer unit 3 and a reinforcement member 4 for securing the layout circuit board 1. The above components are designed with different configurations and sizes to carry out different contact and test processes according to different specifications of various test apparatuses. Therefore, in general, each integrated circuit test apparatus necessitates a specific probe card and is incompatible with any other type of probe card.
However, the existent electronic products have more and more complicated combined functions. To keep up with this trend, the integrated circuit test apparatus must have stronger and stronger signal test capability to increase the test yield. For example, an original small-scale test apparatus with 256 test channels needs to be expanded to a large-scale test apparatus with 512 test channels.
In order to increase the signal test capability, some integrated circuit test service providers repurchase large-scale test apparatuses for increasing the test yield. Some other integrated circuit test service providers modify the software/hardware of the original small-scale test apparatuses to satisfy the demand for larger and larger test yield. Otherwise, the old small-scale test apparatuses will be inevitably laid up or washed out. This apparently leads to waste of resource. However, it will still cost the integrated circuit test service providers a lot of money to either repurchase new large-scale test apparatuses or modify the old small-scale test apparatuses.
Therefore, it is tried by the applicant to provide a probe card structure, which is convertible between different specifications by means of a specification conversion interface in adaptation to different specifications of test apparatuses. Accordingly, it is unnecessary to wash out the old small-scale test apparatuses. Moreover, all the test apparatuses can be more flexibly used to test the integrated circuits at higher efficiency and higher utilization.